"Our study found to keep glucose levels stable, the optimal amount of sleep for teenagers is 7.5 to 8.5 hours per night," said Dr. Dorit Koren, an author of the study and a pediatric endocrinologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Research on adults also suggests an association between sleep deprivation and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, the study's authors noted.

Getting less deep sleep was also linked with decreased insulin secretion in the teens.

Next, the researchers plan to look at the sleep patterns of obese teenagers at home.

The study was funded by the Pennsylvania State Tobacco Settlement Fund and the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Center for Research Resources.